Posted on 04/11/2010 3:44:02 AM PDT by Daisyjane69
I was talking to my sweetie earlier tonight. His dad is age 78.
My sweetie's sister is due to graduate from Stamford this spring, and the rest of the Chicago family will be attending the event in California.
~continued~
Oxygen cannot be purchased without a prescription. DO NOT borrow a concentrator or someone else’s oxygen. Like any medication, oxygen has its uses and contraindications and can be quite dangerous if used in the wrong circumstances.
I recommend you visit your doc and find out if your FIL is healthy enough for a trip to altitude. If he is frequently out of breath, his medications may need to be tuned up a bit. If oxygen is indicated, the doc will arrange it for you. Should be become out of breath at altitude, I recommend being seen at the nearest ED or urgent care to see what is really going on. It may be a simple need for oxygen, or it may be that altitude is affecting his heart and worsening his underlying heart failure - treated very differently.
Good luck and have a safe trip.
Commercial passenger jets usually pressurize their cabins to an effective altitude of about 5000 feet, so if he will need O2 at Yosemite (the main part of the valley is around 4000 ft), he’ll need it on the plane trip.
I don’t know what kind of hassle it is to take medicinal oxygen, and its gear, on an airplane these days.
You can bring concentrators on a plane but usually not cylinders of O2. Call the airline for details.
His DOCTOR needs to make that call,,not you or us.
Once his DOCTOR makes the decision, others can help with where to get stuff etc.
Giving supplemental oxygen to some people can kill them.
The guidelines for getting a RX from your doctor for supplemental O2 is they must have a resting SAT of 88% or less. That is if you have plans for Medicare or insurance to pay for it.
You need a wheelchair before you need anything else. The last thing he needs is to be over-exerted.
In addition to the effects of lower oxygen content at higher elevations, there can also be effects from the lower pressure which could occur even if the oxygen content was kept the same as at lower elevations. The lower pressure can result in swelling or migration of fluids in the tissues that can have severe effects.
I believe that even people who have no known medical issues can suffer from some of these symptoms. Being able to get back to a more normal pressure at lower elevations quickly is the safest course.
Thank you for that suggestion. I hadn’t thought about that.
Thank you all very much for your help. I’ve passed the information along.
Commercial airlines at cruising altitude are pressurized to the equivalent of 6000-8000 feet MSL. Here is an article on medical considerations of supplemental O2 while flying:
http://www.utdol.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~Fsrpi/lMGcns
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/atmosphere/q0206a.shtml
At 4000 feet, Yosemite Valley will be easier than the flight:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=yosemite+valley,+ca&sll=43.659738,-116.330838&sspn=0.013474,0.02914&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Yosemite+Valley,+Mariposa,+California&ll=37.739872,-119.595494&spn=0.013236,0.058279&t=p&z=15&layer=c&cbll=37.738354,-119.595725&panoid=dTd9OvgibBPPj_MzdNYv-A&cbp=11,344.62,,0,-8.78
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